Dr. Devin Absher, faculty investigator at HudsonAlpha, has been named one of the first recipients of the Sci-Quest “Quest for Excellence” award. The inaugural Mad Scientist Ball fundraiser, recently held at the Huntsville-based, hands-on science center, celebrated outstanding contributions by local individuals in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This year’s awards focused on individuals who bridge the gap between mathematics and its applications.

Absher and his lab use genomic technologies to uncover DNA changes relating to human disease, population history and aging. This research involves searching for patterns of DNA sequence variation among millions of genetic data points, requiring mathematical algorithms to separate the genetic “wheat” from the “chaff.” Absher works with these mathematics-based calculations daily, testing a variety of methods to determine the best fit to the data.

“As recently as five years ago, genetic information was sequenced one data point at a time,” Absher said. With the advent of next-generation sequencing machines, data is sequenced millions of points at a time. “Algorithms allow the terabytes of data generated with next-generation sequencers to be sorted through quickly. As a result, finding similarities among genomes has become a more efficient process,” he concluded.

The field of human genomics relies on mathematical applications to identify key genetic features, determine estimates of personal risk and analyze potential therapies. “Dr. Absher is an excellent example of a scientist who moves easily among various mathematical algorithms, contributing to a better understanding of the genetic influence on health and disease,” said Dr. Rick Myers, president and director of HudsonAlpha. Myers nominated Absher for the Sci-Quest award in the government/nonprofit category.

Molecular Biologist

“I never set out to be a professor and researcher; I sort of stumbled into that job. However, I always wanted to know more about nature because I loved animals, rocks, planets, stars, fish, etc. So, in school I took a lot of science courses and along the way I just kept narrowing my focus as I found out what areas of science I liked.” —Dr. Kim Caldwell

Genetic Counselor

“I choose this career because I really enjoy the fast pace changes of science and genetics and I like to help people. I wanted a career that would allow me to be in healthcare but I was not interested in being a physician or nurse or working in a research laboratory setting.”

“I travel independently throughout the community to inspect food processing plants, hotels, restaurants, day care and nursing home food service facilities, jails, schools, night clubs and even body art facilities. Every day I am out meeting new people and seeing different things.”

Epidemiologist

“As a medical epidemiologist working at a state health department, I have investigated acute disease outbreaks; reviewed and analyzed data from reported, notifiable disease cases; and planned and implemented intervention measures to reduce the occurrence of preventable communicable diseases.”

Computational Biologist

“Computational biology is an exciting interdisciplinary field of research that integrates concepts from statistics, mathematics, computer science, and physics to solve problems in biology and biomedical research.”

Clinical Laboratory Geneticist

“As a biochemical geneticist, my work specifically focuses on the diagnosis of inherited metabolic disorders, which typically afflict infants and young children, and often cause severe, even life threatening symptoms.”

Agronomist/Plant Breeder

“Did I choose the career or did the career choose me? That is an interesting question. I have always been interested in science, and grew up on a farm. So the marriage of science and agriculture was a natural for me.”